Nine men studying for the priesthood from four dioceses and two abbeys were instituted into the Ministry of Acolyte on October 1 by Most Rev. Mark Bartchak, Bishop of the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown in the Saint Vincent Archabbey Basilica. The seminarians are from the dioceses of Charleston, Covington, Pittsburgh and Steubenville; Saint Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe and Saint Benedict Monastery in Nigeria. A seminarian installed in the ministry of Acolyte can assist the deacon and the priest in liturgical celebrations, especially the Eucharistic Liturgy.
DIOCESE OF CHARLESTON
Daniel Fitzgerald of Columbia, South Carolina, is a 2010 graduate of George Walton Comprehensive High School, Marietta, Georgia. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science from Georgia Institute of Technology in 2015 and a Master of Arts degree in philosophy from Notre Dame Seminary in 2019. He has also studied at the Institute for Priestly Formation at Creighton University. His parents are Steven Fitzgerald of Marietta and the late Mary Fitzgerald.
DIOCESE OF COVINGTON
Michael J. Schulte of Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, is a 2016 graduate of Covington Catholic High School, Park Hills, Kentucky. He has also studied at Minot State University, Minot, North Dakota. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy from Saint Vincent College in 2025. His parents are Joseph and Teresa Schulte of Crestwood, Kentucky.
DIOCESE OF PITTSBURGH
Van Dung (Anthony) Nguyen of the Diocese of Pittsburgh is a 2006 graduate of Truong To High School in Vinh, Vietnam. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy from Our Lady of La Salett College Seminary in Tagatay, Cavite, the Philippines and has also studied philosophy at The Franciscan University of Steubenville. His parents are Quang and Kien Nguyen of Vinh, Nghe An, Vietnam.
Din Cong (Joseph) Pham of Ky Anh, Ha Tinh, Vietnam, is a 2008 graduate of Tran Hung Dao High School, Hue, Thua Thien Hue, Vietnam. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy from Franciscan University, Steubenville in 2020. His parents are Hoang Dinh Pham and Nhuong Thi Nguyen of Ky Anh, Ha Tinh, Vietnam.
DIOCESE OF STEUBENVILLE
Samuel Ivkovich of Steubenville is a 2012 graduate of Catholic Central High School, Steubenville. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree (2016) in psychology, with a clinical concentration, and a Master of Arts degree (2019) in clinical mental health counseling with a crisis/trauma concentration, both from Franciscan University of Steubenville. His parents are Samuel and Rosemary Ivkovich of Steubenville.
Christopher McGurn of Wintersville, Ohio, is a 2015 graduate of Jefferson County Christian School, Wintersville. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication arts from Franciscan University of Steubenville in 2019 and the Bachelor of Philosophy degree from Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Detroit, in 2024. His parents are Joseph and Ana Nuria McGurn of Wintersville.
SAINT BENEDICT MONASTERY
Brother Anthony Olajide, O.S.B., of Ondo Diocese, Nigeria, is a 2006 graduate of Oghosa Education Centre, Benin City, Nigeria. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Claretian Institute of Philosophy, an affiliate of the IMO State University in Imo, Nigeria. His parents are Joseph Olajide and the late Christianah Oladije of Owo Town, Ondo State, Nigeria.
SAINT VINCENT ARCHABBEY
Brother Emmanuel (Anderson) Da Costa, O.S.B. is from João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil. He is a 2004 graduate of Hipócrates Rede de Ensino, Paraíba. He earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophical studies in 2022 from Centro Universitario Ingá in Paraná. His parents are Luíz Nicolau da Costa and Josefa Dantas da Costa of Paraíba.
Brother Roman Pallone, O.S.B., of Saint Vincent Archabbey, is a 1987 graduate of Saint Francis DeSales High School, Columbus. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from Cornell University in 1991 and a Master of Business Administration degree from The Ohio State University in 1999.
